Fashion Retail: Pop-culture moments

In a crowded marketplace that offers consumers an overwhelming choice of product across multiple communication channels, savvy and innovative retailers are tuning into pop culture moments that truly resonate with their target consumers in attempt to harness attention.

One prime example of this is the Love Island X Missguided partnership in the UK this Summer. The pure play partnered with the British reality TV phenomenon to offer a slick unification of product placement, digital marketing and communications. The partnership married entertainment with branding, to create a strong cut through to Missguided’s core target demographic of 16-24s.

Looking at Barometer, WGSN Analytics’ proprietary consumer data set, it is apparent that as Net Buzz for the brand started to grow, so did the brand’s consideration levels. This indicates that the hype generated around the brand – mainly through the partnership – drove a direct correlation with the percentage of female consumers who would consider buying from the brand.

Success is further evidenced when looking at the stated purchase data during the partnership. Whilst showing an incline across the national representative, it was most pronounced in the 16-24 age group – the brand’s core target segment.

The efforts from Missguided to create a seamless, frictionless experience paid off. From product placement on the most debated reality TV stars – triggering a point of desire – to consumers being able to purchase those items from in front of the TV screen, Missguided have paved the way for a new wave of experiential promotions. Embedding campaigns and branding across multiple touchpoints, from editorials and blogs to social media and the Love Island app, it is this form of integration that retailers need to consider when targeting their core consumers today.

In such a competitive and crowded retail space, retailers now have to think of innovative, immersive experiences to align with. They must correlate with their target consumer’s values, topical interest and sentiment, and offer a seamless experience that takes them from point of desire to point of sale.